Fiorentina will aim to extend their impressive run of form when they host Hellas Verona at the Stadio Artemio Franchi on Sunday in Serie A action. The Viola have been one of the surprise packages of the season so far under new manager Raffaele Palladino, currently sitting fourth in the table just three points off the top.
La Viola enter this match on a five-game winning streak in Serie A, their best run of form in nearly seven years. Their last league outing saw them grind out a 1-0 victory away to Torino thanks to a Moise Kean strike. That result kept Fiorentina firmly in the title race, with only four points separating the entire top six in a congested upper echelon of the table.
Palladino’s men have been particularly impressive defensively of late, keeping four consecutive clean sheets away from home in Serie A. Another shutout against Verona would mark a historic achievement, as Fiorentina have never before won three straight home games against the Gialloblu without conceding.
The Viola did suffer a minor setback in midweek, falling 2-1 to APOEL Nicosia in the Europa Conference League. However, Palladino heavily rotated his squad for that fixture, resting many first-team regulars. As such, Fiorentina should be fresh and motivated to bounce back in front of their home fans on Sunday.
While Fiorentina have been flying high, Hellas Verona’s form has been much more erratic under manager Paolo Zanetti. The Gialloblu pulled off an impressive 3-2 victory over Roma last weekend, but that result came on the heels of three straight defeats, including heavy losses to relegation candidates.
Consistency has been hard to come by for Verona, who have alternated between brilliant and dismal performances. Their matches have certainly been entertaining for neutrals though, with a league-high 40 total goals scored across their 11 fixtures so far.
The visitors will take confidence from their win over Roma, as well as their 2-1 triumph in this fixture back in May. However, that victory ended an eight-game winless run for Verona against Fiorentina. The Gialloblu have historically struggled in this matchup, winning just 15 of the 66 Serie A meetings between the clubs.
Team News
Fiorentina will be without midfielder Danilo Cataldi and Icelandic international Albert Gudmundsson due to injury. However, the hosts should otherwise have a full-strength squad to choose from after resting several key players in midweek.
Moise Kean is expected to lead the line after being left out of the European fixture. The Italian striker has been in fine form, already notching eight goals and one assist this season – his best return for an Italian club in a single campaign.
Verona have some selection issues to contend with, as right-back Dailon Livramento is suspended after receiving a red card against Roma. Pawel Dawidowicz, Juan Manuel Cruz and Martin Frese remain sidelined through injury for the visitors.
Expected Starting XIs
Fiorentina: De Gea; Dodo, Comuzzo, Ranieri, Gosens; Richardson, Bove; Colpani, Beltran, Sottil; Kean
Verona: Montipo; Daniliuc, Coppola, Magnani, Bradaric; Duda, Serdar; Suslov, Kastanov, Lazovic; Tengstedt
Match Prediction
While Verona will be buoyed by their victory over Roma, Fiorentina’s excellent form and home advantage make them clear favorites here. The Viola have been rock solid defensively and should have too much quality for their inconsistent opponents. Expect Fiorentina to continue their winning run with a comfortable 3-1 victory.
Prediction: Fiorentina 3-1 Hellas Verona
